REACTIVATION EXAMINATION INFORMATION OREGON REAL ESTATE AGENCY 1177 Center Street NE Salem, Oregon 97301-2505 (503) 378-4170 WHO NEEDS TO TAKE THE EXAM A licensee whose license has been inactive for two or more consecutive years preceding the request to reactivate must pass the reactivation exam. REACTIVATION EXAM PROCESS The Agency contracts with an exam services provider, PSI Examination Services (PSI), to conduct computerbased examinations at testing centers throughout Oregon. Applicants must register, schedule, pay and take the exam with PSI. Detailed exam procedures are provided in the Candidate Information Bulletin available from PSI s website at www.psiexams.com. Fees. Reactivation examinations are $75. Scheduling an Appointment to Take the Exam. Scheduling your exam appointment via the Internet at www.psiexams.com is the fastest and most convenient way to register. To schedule an exam by phone, call 1-800-733-9267 (1-800-R-E-EXAMS). Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. An automated phone system with a touch-tone phone is available 24 hours a day. If space is available at the Test Center of your choice, you may be able to schedule your exam for the next business day. Please be prepared to have alternative exam appointment choices. Examination Time Limit. The time limit is 72 minutes to complete reactivation exam. Canceling and Rescheduling an Exam Appointment. You may cancel and reschedule an exam appointment without forfeiting the exam fee if your cancellation notice is received two full business days before the scheduled examination date. For example, a Thursday appointment cancellation notice would need to be received by PSI by the close of business on the previous Tuesday. To cancel and reschedule an exam appointment, you may: Use the Internet at www.psiexams.com; 1
Call PSI at 1-800-733-9267 (1-800- R-E-EXAMS), Monday through Friday between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time to speak to a customer service representative; Fax a note to 1-702-932-2666; or Use the automated phone system, using a touch-tone phone, 24 hours a day. Please note: A voice mail message is not an acceptable form of cancelation. Missed Appointment or Late Cancellation. You will forfeit the examination fee and must schedule and pay for another exam if you: Do not cancel an exam appointment two full business days before the scheduled examination date; Do not appear for your scheduled exam appointment; Arrive after the scheduled examination start time; or Do not present proper identification upon arrival at the Test Center. Alternative Exam Arrangements. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the Real Estate Agency and the PSI testing centers are equipped to provide reasonable accommodation to meet an applicant s special needs. Applicants should notify PSI at the time of registration if special arrangements are needed. PSI may request supporting documentation of the circumstances surrounding the special arrangement request. TIPS FOR PREPARING FOR YOUR EXAM The emphasis of the examination is on basic concepts of real estate and on current laws, including administrative rules and regulations. Prior to examination, applicants should thoroughly review their knowledge of 2 real estate practice, Oregon real estate laws and rules, and real estate finance. Study of the following material before taking the exam will be helpful: A. Oregon Real Estate License Law (ORS 696) and Oregon Administrative Rules (Chapter 863). B. Real estate textbooks in Law, Finance, Practices and Property Management. It is advisable to review the textbooks or other material you studied to obtain your license, paying special attention to basic concepts. Textbooks and materials on real estate are available from libraries, private real estate schools, community college and university bookstores, and directly from publishing companies. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMINATIONS All reactivation exams consist of 48 multiple-choice questions. A score of 75% (36 questions) is required to pass. The following are the major content areas and the approximate percentage of questions that will be included in each area. Broker Reactivation: A. General Real Estate Law (23%) Questions in this area cover: agency relationships; contracts, including listing agreements, earnest money agreements, and options; nature of real property; forms of ownership. B. Real Estate Finance (19%) The questions in this section include: government lending laws; financing instruments such as mortgages, trust deeds and land sales contracts;
government financing programs; conventional financing; foreclosure; exchanging; appraisal of real property. C. Special Fields (6%) The questions in this area contain such topics as: local, state and federal government land rights; Federal Fair Housing law; property management. D. License Laws (31%) Questions in this area cover: Oregon Revised Statute chapter 696 and Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 863, divisions 14 through 25. E. Control Laws (21%) The questions in area include: assessment and taxation of real property; Oregon Veterans Farm and Home Loan Program; Residential Landlord and Tenant Law (ORS 90); Subdivisions and Partitions (ORS 92); Condominium Act (ORS 100); Oregon water rights; construction lien law (ORS 87); Oregon discrimination statute (ORS 659); Oregon Trust Deed Act (ORS 86); deed forms. Property Manager Reactivation: A. Real Estate License Law and Rules (35%) Questions in this area include: License Law and Administrative Rules as they apply to property managers, in particular, recordkeeping, clients trust accounts and reconciliation. B. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (25%) Questions in this area cover: rights and obligations of landlords and tenants; evictions; forcible entry and detainer procedures; anti-discrimination statutes, federal and state; Fair Credit Reporting Act as applied to tenant selection. C. Basic Real Property Law (10%) Questions include: types of estates and forms of ownership; nature of real property versus personal property; fixtures, emblements and water rights. D. Real Estate Contracts (10%) Questions cover: property management agreements; rental agreements and leases. E. Agency Relationships (10%) Questions include: law of agency and how it affects the relationship between property manager and owner. F. Transfer of Title (5%) Questions include: Voluntary and involuntary transfers; encumbrances, including easements and liens; ways to legally describe real property. G. Types of Leases (5%) Questions cover: common lease clauses and types of leases. TEST CENTER INFORMATION Test Center Closing for an Emergency. In the event that severe weather or another emergency forces the closure of a Test Center on a scheduled examination date, your examination will be rescheduled. PSI personnel will attempt to contact you in this situation. However, you may check the status of your examination appointment by calling PSI at 1-800-733-9267 (1-800-R-E- EXAMS). PSI will make every effort to 3
reschedule your examination at a convenient time as soon as possible. Test Center Locations. Reactivation examinations are administered at PSI Test Centers in Baker City, Bend, Eugene, Independence, Medford, Portland. Specific locations and driving directions will be provided by PSI. All centers are open Saturdays, and some offer evening sessions. If there is a demand, additional testing sessions may be added. Reporting to the Test Center to Take Your Exam. On the day of the exam, you must arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled examination appointment time. This extra time is for sign-in, identification, and becoming familiar with the examination process. If you do not arrive at your scheduled exam appointment time, you may not be admitted to the Test Center and will forfeit your examination fee. You would then need to register and pay for another exam. Required Identification at Test Center. You must provide valid photo identification at the Test Center. The identification must include a photograph, the name under which you registered for the exam, and signature. Examples of acceptable photo identification are a driver s license, a passport, a military ID, or an employee identification card. If you do not possess photo identification you may apply at any field office of the Department of Motor Vehicles for a non-driver identification card. Please note: If you recently changed your name (e.g. married), or if your last name includes a generation indicator (e.g. Jr., III), be sure that the name that appears on your photo identification is 4 the same name you registered for the exam. If you cannot provide the required identification, you must call PSI at 1-800-733-9267 (1-800-R-E-EXAMS) at least three weeks prior to your scheduled exam appointment to arrange a way to meet this security requirement. Failure to provide the required identification at the time of the examination without notifying PSI is considered a missed appointment, and you will not be able to take the examination. You would need to register and pay for another exam. After you sign-in and present the required identification, the proctor will provide you with scratch paper and a Test Question Review Sheet. The proctor will retain your ID until you complete the exam and return the exam materials. Security Procedures. The examinations are closed book. You will not be allowed to bring any reference materials to the Test Center. Applicants need to bring a nonprogrammable calculator that is silent, battery-operated, does not have paper tape printing capabilities, and does not have a keyboard containing the alphabet. The following security procedures will apply during the examination: Notes or books are not allowed. You may not exit the building during the examination. Cell phones, pagers, purses, and children are not allowed in the Test Center. Only nonprogrammable calculators that are silent, battery-operated, do not have paper tape printing capabilities, and do not have a keyboard containing the alphabet will be permitted.
Smoking, eating, or drinking is not allowed in the testing room. You will be permitted to take a food or beverage break in the lobby area. Copying or communicating examination content is a violation of security regulations and may result in the disqualification of examination results. TAKING THE EXAMINATION Detailed exam procedures are provided in the Candidate Information Bulletin available from PSI s website at www.psiexams.com. AFTER THE EXAM Score Reporting. A score of 75% or better is required to pass the reactivation examinations. Passing scores are valid for one year from the date of passing. You must complete all reactivation requirements by that time or you will be required to retake the examination. Your score will be given to you immediately following completion of the examination. Your score results are sent electronically to the Real Estate Agency within 3 business days. The following summary describes the score reporting process: On Screen Your score will appear immediately on the computer screen. This will happen automatically at the end of the time allowed for the exam; if you are using review features, you will be able to obtain your score immediately when you indicate that you have finished and would like to see your results. On Paper An official score report (pass or fail) will be printed at the examination site. This report will include a diagnostic report indicating your strengths and weaknesses by examination topic. The 5 official score report is for your records. Do not send it to the Real Estate Agency. If you do not pass You can retake the exam by contacting PSI to schedule an appointment and paying the appropriate fee. If you pass the exam, you must completed your continuing education, complete the Reactivate My License process in elicense, and pay the required reactivation fee. You then have 30 days for a principal broker to associate you to a real estate business. REVIEW OF EXAM QUESTIONS Applicant Comments. The Real Estate Agency and PSI consistently evaluate the examinations being administered to ensure the exams accurately measure competency in the required knowledge areas. Examinees are provided a Test Question Review Sheet at the Test Center to record any comments regarding the questions and the examinations. These comments are welcome and will be analyzed by the Agency and PSI examination development staff. While the Agency or PSI may not respond to individuals regarding these comments, all substantive comments are reviewed. If an error affecting examination scores is discovered as a result, which occurs very rarely, the examination scores of all affected applicants will be automatically adjusted. This is the only review of examination materials available to applicants.
CONTINUING EDUCATION You must complete the required continuing education prior to finishing the reactivation process in elicense. Please view the Real Estate Licensee Resources section of the Agency s website at www.oregon.gov/rea for a detailed explanation of continuing education requirements. WHAT LAW REQUIRES THE REACTIVATION EXAM? The legal authority for the reactivation exam requirement can be found in Oregon Revised Statutes 696.235 and the Oregon Administrative Rule 863-015-0065. MORE INFORMATION Contact the Agency at (503) 378-4170 or orea.info@state.or.us if you have any questions. 2/2015 6